A mesmerizingly baroque, wonderfully strange novel. There is no obvious narrative structure although much of this excellent book is set in Cuba, the writer's homeland, where the publication of this book in 1966 caused huge controversy. If your daily experience involves people morphing into talking manatees, then you'll love this brilliant work of realist fiction. Ostensibly a coming-of-age story of Jose Cemi, this challenging book combines memoir, fiction, poetry, and a number of explicit homosexual interludes. Ably translated by Gregory Rabassa (no small feat).  (CRB128, $14.50)